The first T20I of the three-match series between Australia and India (AUS v IND) was abandoned after it had started raining during India’s innings at Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast. The hosts won the toss and asked India to bat first.
Indian openers did show intent but could not convert it into big. Shafali Verma showed her aggressive side straightaway by hitting a six off Tayla Vlaeminck in the 1st over.
In-form Smriti Mandhana, who scored a 100 in the pink ball Test, hit two fours and one six off Sophie Molineux in the 2nd over. Australia’s off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner got Shafali and Smriti in the 4th over and gave Australia a breakthrough.
Harmanpreet Kaur, playing in the series for the 1st time, played a beautiful pull shot to 4 off Tayla Vlaeminck but failed to survive Sophie Molineux’s delivery and got out at 12.
India lost 3 wickets in powerplay but made 55 runs.
Jemimah Rodrigues, who brought her form back in The Hundred, could not make it to India’s playing 11 in the ODI series and pink ball Test match. However, She got a chance to play in the 1st T20I and she did not disappoint; showed everyone why she should not be benched.
Jemimah smashed Australia’s debutant, Hannah Darlington, to two fours. She became the youngest Indian (Women/Men) and 4th Indian Woman to cross 1000 runs in the T20Is.
After impressive performances in ODIs and pink ball Test match, India’s Yastika Bhatia made her debut in the 1st T20I. Yastika survived an LBW and a runout but kept rotating the strike. She made a 50-run partnership with Jemimah off 35 balls. In the 13th over Georgia Wareham broke the partnership by getting Yastika’s wicket, who was batting at 15.
Young gun Richa Ghosh hit 4 runs off Tahlia McGrath’s first delivery of 1st T20I. In the 16th over, the play was stopped and later abandoned due to rain. India made 131 for 4. Rodrigues and Ghosh stayed not out at 49(36) and 17(13) respectively.
Jemimah falls one run short of a very well-deserving half-century. India’s Debutant Renuka Singh Thakur, unfortunately, could not get a chance to bowl in her debut match.
“I waited a long time for this,” Jemimah Rodrigues said to the media after hitting unbeaten 49 runs in her first T20I match of this multi-format series.
Both the teams got 1 point each. Australia are still in the lead 7-5 with two T20Is remaining in this multi-format series.
AUS v IND Playing XI:
India playing XI- Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Yastika Bhatia, Richa Gosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh Thakur.
Debutants in 1st T20I- Yastika Bhatia and Renuka Singh Thakur.
Australia Playing XI- Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Hannah Darlington, Tayla Vlaeminck.
Debutants in 1st T20I- Tahlia McGrath and Hannah Darlington.
Feature Image courtesy: Getty Images
